This invention relates to bolt seal locking devices used on rail car plug doors, and more particularly, to a seal and plug door handle protector for locking the door handle closed.
Of interest are commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,413,393 and 5,347,689, both in the name of Georgopoulos et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,604 in the name of Stone et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,036,240 and 6,010,166 both in the name of Hamilton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,731 in the name of Emmons et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,989 in the name of Stevenson et al., all of which relate to bolt seals and which are fully incorporated by reference herein. U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,989 discloses a releasable bolt seal in which both the shank and locking body are reusable, the locking body being releaseably attached to the bolt seal shank.
Cargo shipping vehicles and containers, and in particular, rail cars, are subject to widespread tampering due to the value of the cargo. One type of rail car employs what are known as plug doors. Such doors are attached to the side of a rail car and displace in two orthogonal directions. The door moves in translation toward and away from the rail car side wall to close and open an opening in a side of the rail car. The door is attached to wheels mounted on a wheel truck by keeper bars. The truck wheels ride on rails extending along the side of the rail car side wall. The keeper bars rotate and include a crank portion. The crank portion displaces the door in and out of the opening as the bars are rotated.
When the door is outside the opening, it can then be displaced parallel to the side wall via the wheels and rails to expose the opening. A crank mechanism is provided on the door side to rotate the keeper bars to open and close the doors. An elongated handle is connected to the crank mechanism for operating the mechanism, which is typically a gearing arrangement. The mechanism is enclosed by a cover or covers. Different mechanisms have somewhat different covers and handles.
A yoke assembly is attached to the door adjacent to one end of the handle. The yoke assembly includes a pivoted yoke that captures the handle one end. A padlock may be secured to the yoke to lock the handle and prevent it from being rotated to the open position. Such padlocks have exposed shackles and may be opened by tampering using bolt cutters and the like.
Padlock protectors are known. Also, bolt seals employing shanks with heads on one end and a locking body on the other shank end may be used to lock some latches. Examples of such bolt seals are disclosed in the aforementioned commonly owned patents for example.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,393 illustrates a one time use bolt seal and a tool for breaking the shank at the head end of the shank. The tool engages the head and manually bends the shank which breaks due to serrations in the shank.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,149, a container hasp protector is disclosed. A metal box-like body has a top plate, a bottom plate, right and left side plates, an open rear face and a front face. A shield plate is on the front face and extends between the side plates forming a top opening in the face between the shield plate and top plate and a bottom opening in the face between the shield plate and the bottom plate. The body is arranged to protect the hasp from intentional breakage.
The shield plate has an aperture which cooperates with aligned apertures in a hasp to receive a breakaway security seal. The problem with this device as recognized by the present inventors is that this device is not useful with plug door handles and latches.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,443 discloses a security lock that employs a locking pin. The lock employs interengaged keepers with aligned through apertures which receive the pin. One of the keepers has a through pilot hole in the face thereof so that the pin can be cut apart with a heavy duty power drill for use by an authorized person. The only way for the lock to be opened is by destroying the pin. This device is not satisfactory for use with plug door handles.
Padlock protector devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,898,008, 4,033,155, 5,146,771, and 5,477,710. These also are not satisfactory for cargo shipping containers or rail cars because the shackles are readily exposed for destruction by a tamperer. Further these devices are not disclosed as operative with bolt seals of the type described above.
The present inventors recognize a need for a cost effective seal and latch protection device for use with plug door handles and latches. They recognize a need for a protection device which precludes access to the bolt shank which is vulnerable to tampering. For this purpose, they recognize that the reusable bolt seal of U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,989 is advantageous in that the bolt shank can be substantially protected from tampering while permitting the bolt seal to be released.
A handle lock and seal protector according to the present invention is for a rail car plug door handle and latch, the handle for rotation about a pivot to open and close the latch, the door including at least one appurtenance extending therefrom, the protector for use with a bolt seal having a head, a shank and a lock body for locking the protector to the handle. The protector comprises a casing defining a chamber and a longitudinal axis, the chamber for receiving the handle and enclosing the pivot, the casing having a plurality of bolt seal apertures for receiving the bolt seal shank to lock the casing to the received handle with the bolt seal. Displacement inhibiting means are secured to the casing for engaging the at least one appurtenance to preclude the rotation of the received handle relative to the door and for precluding axial removal of the secured casing from the handle.
In one aspect, the casing includes a pair of spaced members extending therefrom, the members having the apertures.
In a further aspect, the members comprise a pair of spaced legs each depending from a casing side wall.
In a further aspect, each leg includes a tubular member aligned with the apertures for receiving and protecting the bolt seal, the tubular member extending transversely the axis outwardly from the corresponding side wall, the tubular member and apertures being positioned so that the received handle is between the received bolt seal and cover wall.
In a still further aspect, the inhibiting means includes an end wall for precluding axially displacement of the casing relative to the received handle along the axis in a first direction and further means for precluding axial displacement of the casing in a second direction opposite the first direction.
The further means may comprise a projection extending from the casing for engaging the at least one appurtenance, the projection for precluding the rotation and axial displacement of the casing relative to the handle in the second direction.
In a further aspect, the displacement inhibiting means comprises a member extending outwardly each the side wall for engaging the at least one appurtenance, the end wall and member for cooperatively precluding axially displacement of the casing in opposing directions along the axis.
An end wall at one casing end and a bottom wall at the one end may cooperatively enclose the one end, the inhibiting means may include the enclosed one end and a member extending transverse the axis from one of the side walls distal the end wall for engaging the at least one appurtenance.